Presenter: Roy Huggins, LPC, NCC

Original Date: November 17, 2018

A core tenet of Naturopathic medicine is to provide deep, holistic care for patients that addresses the whole person. As such, NDs frequently develop closer relationships with patients than do their allopathic counterparts. In addition, NDs in Oregon have recently found themselves being more closely integrated into primary care for Oregonians and thus under closer scrutiny from their licensing board. It has become clear that one common cause of complaint to the board involves boundary violations.

In order to help attendees learn how to establish rigorous boundaries with patients, as opposed to either overly ridged or overly porous boundaries, this presentation will show attendees how psychotherapists use professional boundaries as both a tool for maintaining ethical behavior and for improving clinical outcomes along with discussion of the many ways in which this model applies to Naturopathic medical practice. The presentation will also explore the all-important topic of which kinds of patient conditions and which situations typically foster boundary crossings and violations.

1.5 Ethics CEUs approved by OBNM